Families collect gifts from Toys for Tots donations

Hundreds of families stood in line early Saturday morning to pick up very important packages -- Christmas gifts for their children via Toys for Tots.

LANDOVER, Md. – Hundreds of families stood in line early Saturday morning to pick up very important packages — Christmas gifts for their children via Toys for Tots.

This is where some of the local toy donations are going, and these families couldn’t be more thankful. Families braved the cold and began lining up to collect their bounty as early as 5 a.m. outside the Prince George’s Police Headquarters in Landover.

Prince George’s County police officers, partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, helped hand out some of the toys.

Last year, the community’s generosity helped collect and distribute 37,000 toys. More than 7,000 county families benefited from the program.

Georgette Samson from Hyattsville, Md., is one of them.

“We were out of work, stuff like that. This will help for stuff for the kids,” Samson said. Families had to register to receive the donated toys.

This year, the event exceeded organizer’s expectations.

“Spectacular, we have about 36,000 toys and we have about 19,000 children registered to receive these toys,” says Capt. Irene Huskins with the department’s community services division.

Families expressed their gratitude to organizers who met those who were benefiting from their hard work.

“It’s bringing this sense of, there is joy in this time and a sense of hope,” says County Executive Rushern Baker.